Friday, June 06, 2014

Meet the rip-off artists Glenn R. Bergmann and Joseph R. Moore

Truth Out features two douche bags copying and pasting while they pretend they're reporting.

Here's a sample of Glenn R. Bermann and Joseph R. Moore's 'borrowing:'A disability claim becomes an appeal when the veteran disagrees with
the original VA decision. Why are there suddenly so many appealed
claims? The agency's rush to fulfill the president's promise to
eliminate the initial claim backlog by next year is resulting in a
surprisingly high error rate, which the American Legion suggests is 55
percent. That means, for every 100,000 VA decisions on disability
claims, 55,000 have errors and would warrant an appeal. By deciding these claims quickly (and too often erroneously) the VA
effectively transfers their "initial claims" backlog into an unreported
pool where the logjam of appeals is growing by the day.

She's covered it since (including last week) and long before but that one from April is my favorite of her reports on this.

And let's note that she didn't call it out this year or last.

She called it out when the VA presented the plan to Congress. She said all this would do is create a large backlog for appeals. She wrote that the day the VA presented it to Congress.

It's interesting how, after she's paved the road for years, Glenn and Joey show up for a joyride.
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/24144-va-also-not-telling-the-truth-about-veteran-disability-claims

Thursday, June 5, 2014. Chaos and violence continue, Nouri loses
control of Samarra, the KRG continues to maintain their independence
with regards to the oil issue, in the US some lawmakers reach a deal on
VA efforts, a prisoner trade continues to haunt Barack, Ron Jacobs
confuses a TV movie with the attention today's war resisters could use,
and much more.

As
Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson admits 18 vets died while waiting for
appointments in Phoenix, IAVA calls for presidential leadership and
urges Congress to move forward with legislation

Washington DC (June 5, 2014)
– Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation’s largest
non-profit, non-partisan organization representing post-9/11 veterans
and their families, today praised Senate leaders on both sides of the
aisle for their bipartisan work on addressing critical access issues at
the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Earlier, Senate Veterans
Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Senator John McCain
(R-AZ), one of two combat veterans in the Senate, announced a
bipartisan deal that would address access and care issues for veterans
within the VA system. The
compromise was announced the same day Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson
addressed the ongoing VA scandal, saying that 18 veterans died while
waiting for appointments with the Phoenix VA Health Care System.On Monday, IAVA CEO & Founder Paul Rieckhoff, joined by IAVA veterans from across the country, unveiled eight steps
the Obama Administration and Congress can take now to restore
confidence in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Among the steps are
recommendations from IAVA’s 2014 Policy Agenda. IAVA urged Congress and the President to enact all of the recommendations from the plan.“Reforming
the VA requires a bipartisan effort on both ends of Pennsylvania
Avenue. We are very encouraged by the compromise forged by Senators
Sanders and McCain,” Rieckhoff said. “Today’s progress shows veterans
issues is the one thing that parties can come together on. We hope the
Senate and House can move forward to enact legislation that will ensure
veterans get the care and benefits they have earned. However, we still
need the President to step up and take a more active role in restoring
confidence within the VA and lay out a strategy for the way forward.” Rieckhoff added: “Many of the provisions announced in today’s compromise are part of IAVA’s eight-part ‘Marshall Plan’
for veterans. The VA scandal is far from over. We urge Congress and the
Administration to embrace all our recommendations. As the VA confirmed
how severe mismanagement was in Phoenix, it is imperative that the men
and women who served our country never have to wait for care.”The
legislation directly addresses accountability issues at the VA by
allowing poorly performing SES employees to be immediately dismissed
without pay while also establishing an expedited appeals process to
discourage fraudulent dismissals. This legislation will also allow
veterans to see providers outside the VA system if the wait times for
appointments are too long or if the veteran lives more than 40 miles
from a VA hospital or clinic. The need to address the VA's technological
capabilities, particularly with scheduling, will also be evaluated
through the establishment of a Tech Task Force. In addition to these
access and accountability measures, this legislation also includes
several other major provisions supported by IAVA’s 2014 Policy Agenda,
including much needed major medical facility lease authorizations,
in-state tuition for veterans using GI Bill benefits, and increased
access to health care for survivors of MST. NOTE TO THE MEDIA: IAVA leadership is available for interview. Press can email press@iava.org or call 212-982-9699.Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org)
is the nation's first and largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization
representing veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and has more than 270,000
Member Veterans and civilian supporters nationwide. Celebrating its 10th
year anniversary, IAVA recently received the highest rating -
four-stars - from Charity Navigator, America's largest charity
evaluator.

# # #

Jake Lefferman and John Parkinson (ABC News) quote
Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chair Bernie Sanders stating, "We
have a crisis on our hands. It is imperative that we deal with that
crisis." Senator Patty Murray is the Chair of the Senate Budget
Committee and, prior to that, she was Chair of the Senate Veterans
Affairs Committee (she still serves on the Veterans Affairs Committee).
Her office issued the following:

(Washington, D.C.)–
Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), senior member of the Senate
Veterans’ Affairs Committee, released the following statement after
Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and John McCain (R-AZ)
announced a path forward for a legislative compromise to address the
serious accountability and transparency deficit at the Department of
Veterans Affairs.

“Today’s
announcement is an excellent example of what Congress can do when we
work together to put veterans first and work toward substantive
solutions to the challenges
they face. Finalizing this legislation is a critical step toward
addressing some of the immediate accountability and transparency
concerns plaguing the VA and fixing its deep-seated structural and
cultural challenges.

“I
will be working closely with my colleagues to build on this bipartisan
momentum. These are not new problems and Congress must continue to take
action on them, while
addressing the inevitable issues that will be uncovered as ongoing
investigations and reviews are completed.

“As
we all know, there are serious problems at the VA that will not be
solved through legislation alone or by simply replacing the Secretary.
However, I am hopeful
these steps will spark long-overdue change from the top down in order
to ensure our veterans are getting the care and support they expect and
deserve.

“I
want to commend Chairman Sanders and Senator McCain for working in good
faith to put veterans’ needs ahead of political differences.”

Richard Simon (Los Angeles Times) adds
that Senator Richard Burr, Ranking Member on the Senate Veterans
Affairs Committee, has announced his support for the bipartisan deal and
that:As Congress ratcheted up its response to the VA scandal, the Senate
Appropriations Committee on Thursday provided funding for the Justice
Department to play a bigger role in the investigation of VA employees
falsifying records to cover up long waits for medical care.And
the House Veterans Affairs Committee called a Monday night hearing that
could shed new light on the scope of the VA mess. The panel asked for an
update from the VA inspector general, who has been investigating 42
sites and issued an interim report last week that found a systemic
problem nationwide in scheduling veterans for healthcare in a timely
manner.

In Iraq, the day started with rumors that the Baghdad-based Iraqi
government had lost
control of Samarra, a Sunni town with an estimated population of around
350,000 people. It would be the end of the day before it would be known
if Baghdad had lost control. Fighting took place, regardless of who
was in
control. National Iraqi News Agency quoted a police source stating 54 people have been either killed or wounded in the ongoing battles so far. Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) reports, citing health officials, that 23 people were dead and thirty-three injured.

Mahmud Saleh (AFP) states fighters control parts of Samarra and that they were "travelling in dozens of vehicles, some mounted with anti-aircraft guns,
attacked a major checkpoint on the southeast side of Samarra, killing
the security forces guarding it and burning their vehicles, witnesses
said." Xinhua adds, "The gunmen raised their black flag
belonging to the ISIL on several government buildings and the main
Sunni mosque in the city, which located just 1,500 meters away from
the Shiite shrine of Imam Ali al-Hadi in central the city. The
shrine contains the tombs of Ali al-Hadi, who died in 868 A.D. and
his son Hassan al- Askari who died in 874 A.D."

NINA notes
Ministry of the Interior spokesperson Saad Maan declared that no
"police stations or security sites in Samarra had fallen in the hands of
the gunmen." But the rumors of Baghdad losing control were apparently true. NINA reports the Ministry of Defense issued a statement announcing they had liberated Samarra.

Liberated?

The Ministry of Defense liberated the city by night fall?

So, to be liberated, Samarra had to first be taken over.

So this is another city Nouri's lost. He lost control briefly, that is true, but he still lost control.

How humiliating for him.

Nouri has used similar events as an excuse to attack the
civilians in Falluja, an attack that began at the start of the year and
has now entered its six month.

Is this his 'model' for how to address events in Samarra? If so, he's failing yet again as a leader.

Deputy Premier, Chairman of Arabia Alliance Saleh al-Mutlaq stressed
that "there will be no dialogues with any political bloc without Anbar
and Fallujah questions will have the priority".
In a statement, he added "We cannot bear the events taking place in
these two cities and the killings of women, children and innocent people
inside the university campus".

The Iraqi people are being terrorized by Nouri. And it goes beyond Falluja. BRussells Tribunal notes Sama
Laith Mouayad was shot dead. The college student was sitting in the
exam hall of Ramadi's Al-Anbar University when she was shot dead by a
military sniper.Kent State. The May 4, 1970 assault is still remembered each year. And
yet Nouri's forces kill a college student, shoot her dead as she's
sitting in the exam hall, and that's okay?In what world?

Today, Hamza Mustafa (Asharq Al-Awsat) reports:Rival Shi’ite political blocs have reiterated their strong opposition
to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki’s bid for a third term in
office, amid claims by each side that they secured the majority required
to form a government.The National Alliance -- comprised of the leading Shi’ite forces, the
Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), the Sadrist Movement, the
National Congress and the Reform Trend -- has urged the State of Law
coalition to withdraw the nomination of its leader, Nuri Al-Maliki, to
head the new government, according to a statement read out by the
coalition’s spokesman, Ibrahim Bahr Al-Ulloum, following a meeting by
coalition leaders in Baghdad two days ago.

Maliki’s coalition came first in recent parliamentary polls, but
failed to win an absolute majority that would enable him to form a
government.

Political groups are currently testing the waters for their future
alliances as they wait for the official results to be released. The
groups anticipate a long government-formation period and are posturing
to maintain their political flexibility. However, the development of an
anti-Maliki front is likely to materialize, modeled after the
anti-Maliki local governments that formed in Baghdad and Diyala after
the 2013 provincial elections.
Prime Minister Maliki's plan will likely continue to be floating the
concept of a majority government and assessing which groups he can play
against one another. Additionally, he will likely continue to attack
speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, Mutahidun, and the Sadrists. Maliki will
enjoy an advantage as he will be a caretaker Prime Minister with full
authority. It will be particularly important to watch if Maliki will
use the security forces to his own advantage. The current major
operation to re-take Fallujah from ISIS may be an example of precisely
this, seeking to demonstrate his strength as a Prime Minister.

Lack of elections in Fallujah and Jurf al-Sakhar can further increase
sentiments of marginalization among the Iraqi Sunni population. To
mitigate the consequences of these sentiments, the vote-counting that
is underway must be transparent and occur without any alteration of
results. Importantly, all political groups should work towards
producing a government that is representative and inclusive.

Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have signed a 50-year
deal to export Kurdish oil, the prime minister of the administration
has announced amid the ongoing spat between Baghdad and Arbil.
“We
have signed an energy deal with Turkey that comprises of 50 years and
can be extendable if necessary,” Nechirvan Barzani said June 4 during a
speech at the Kurdish Parliament in Arbil.
Relations between Arbil and Baghdad have been strained by disputes over the sale of northern Iraqi oil through Turkey.

Steve Marshall (Upstream) adds, "He [Barzani] denied though the pact was an attempt to split Iraq but was motivated
by a need for oil revenues after Kurdistan has seen its share of the
federal budget cut due to the ongoing row over independent exports from
the region, which Baghdad claims are illegal." Yesterday, Nechirvan Barzani addressed the Kurdish Parliament. Al Mada reports
he explained it is the right, the Constitutional right, to export the
oil and that they have said since the beginning this was a
constitutional right and one granted to them by the 2003 and 2004
constitutions. Not stated in the Al Mada article, but also true,
Nouri's failure to ever pass a national oil and gas law also means they
have this legal right.

Rudaw quotes him telling Parliament the following:The problem with the federal government regarding oil is that it
wants to control of this dosser. If they [Baghdad] had reached an
agreement with us on the distribution of oil revenues, which is the most
important law for Iraq, many problems would have been resolved.

Ufuk Sanili (Al-Monitor) adds, "The Kurdish administration in northern Iraq and the Baghdad government are at loggerheads over oil exports. The
tanker carrying the first cargo of independently exported oil from
northern Iraq is crisscrossing the Mediterranean without any clear
destination or buyer, amid threats of legal action from Baghdad." Hurriyet Daily News noted:Turkey has insisted that the export of Kurdish Iraqi oil to the world is
Iraq’s internal business, downplaying opposition from Baghdad, which
has accused Turkey of worsening the row over who controls Iraq’s
resources.“The income to be generated from here [exports] will
be distributed with a system that our Iraqi brothers established by
themselves,” Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said June 2, answering
reporters’ questions after a meeting in Ankara.“Therefore, I
don’t find it right to say things to Turkey that cannot be told to
anybody else,” the minister said, when asked about his comments over the
issue.

Turning to the controversy in the US over US President Barack Obama's
negotiations with the Taliban of Afghanistan which saw Barack surrender
five Taliban members held at Guantanamo Bay (they were not classified of
prisoners of war -- using that classification would have required the
US government to follow certain guidelines the US government didn't want
to follow) in exchange for one US soldier. Today, The Lead with Jake Tapper (CNN) reports:

Republican Sen. John McCain, himself a former
prisoner of war in Vietnam, says his "heart goes out" to Bowe Bergdahl,
but slammed the deal that swapped five Guantanamo Bay detainees for the
captured Army sergeant.

"I wanted him home. I didn't want to risk the lives, and don't want
to risk the lives of Americans," said McCain. "I would never agree with
that."

Legion: Sgt Bergdahl release is good, Gitmo releases are badThe leader of the nation’s largest veterans service organization
raised some concerns about the circumstances surrounding the recent
release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl by the Taliban.“First, to Sgt. Bergdahl, I say, ‘welcome home,’” American Legion
National Commander Daniel M. Dellinger said today. “Your family has
waited far too long to see you and we are happy that your five year
nightmare has ended. To the administration, I say The American Legion
has some very serious concerns.”Dellinger, who is visiting troops in Europe this week, asked, “Has
the United States changed its longheld policy of not negotiating with
terrorists? Will this provide incentives for terrorists to kidnap other
Americans? What assurances do we have that the five dangerous
detainees being released from Guantanamo will not return to the
battlefield?“While Qatar will institute a travel ban on the released
detainees for 12 months, our troops won’t be leaving Afghanistan until
2016,” Dellinger added. “There are many troubling aspects about this
deal and the American people deserve some answers. Moreover, we hope the
Department of Defense does a complete investigation of the
circumstances surrounding Sgt. Bergdahl’s initial disappearance and take
whatever steps are warranted by the findings of that investigation.”With a current membership of 2.4-million wartime veterans, The
American Legion was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong
national security, veterans affairs, Americanism, and youth programs.
Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through nearly
14,000 posts across the nation.

WASHINGTON (June 3, 2014) -- The White House announced Saturday that America's only known
prisoner of war has been released in exchange for five Afghani prisoners being
held at the U.S. Detention Facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.The release of
Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was captured by the Taliban on June 30, 2009, is
great news for his family, and helps to ensure that no American is left behind
once the U.S. ends its involvement in Afghanistan. But the Veterans of Foreign
Wars of the United States is very concerned that negotiating with terrorists
sets a very dangerous precedent.

This morning, I noted a government official, low ranking, had acted
badly and that we might discuss it in the snapshot. I stated my hope
that he would have apologized and we could move on and deal with other
things. He did apologize. I'm going to leave it alone. Three reasons.
1) He did apologize. 2) The media's beyond stupid. They missed the
point of the story -- and that's especially true of conservative
outlets. 3) This afternoon, a mutual friend asked me to please consider
not weighing in. I do not know the official. We do have a friend in
common. That friend, a male veteran, called me about the Tweets to
begin with (and thought they were funny). I was outraged (not for the
reason that conservatives were). He apologized. I don't have time to
correct every false story in the media. And a friend asked for a favor.
I'm leaving it alone for those reasons.

Surprisingly, I'm not leaving Ron Jacobs alone.

We used to note Ron all the time before he joined The Cult of St.
Barack. In fact, we had to walk away from the all the tools and idiots
at US Socialist Worker for their rank hypocrisy.

But Ron decided to weigh in on the issue of the soldier released by the
Taliban. I don't even want to name the soldier. I've said before I
know nothing about him, an investigation is ongoing, and I have no
reason to dislike him or comment on him. His name's here at this site
via statements of others. I don't even want to learn how to spell his
name. He has too much attention on him and, if you've ever felt the
crush of the public eye, you know how hard that can be. So I'm not
mentioning his name.

Ron's not so lucky.

Ron decided to weigh in on the matter.

Since Ron's pretty much permanently worn an Ass Face for the last six
years, I don't even read him. But the title of his piece ("Deserters Are Heroes" -- Dissident Voice) wrongly made me believe Ron might still be able to be useful.

This could be a very useful time. The soldier in question is said to
have self-checked out. As a result of whoring, you have people like Rachel Maddow
applauding him. Let's be really clear that Rachel didn't applaud war
resisters on Air America Radio. She was for the Iraq War and for
staying in Iraq. We'll go over this on Saturday in "I Hate The War."
But the point right now is that those who self-checkout are getting a
little bit of attention because of the soldier in the news.

So with Ron offering a column of 900 words, hallelujah!, war resisters will get attention, right?

Joshua Key, Jeremy Hinzman and others still in Canada need attention. No one bothers today except Global Research (here for audio) and Courage to Resist. So how great that Ron Jacob's going to write about them, right?

Wrong.

Though Ron lays it on thick for the soldier whose release Barack made
happen, he mentions no other war resister from the Iraq and Afghanistan
Wars. He does manage to yack on endlessly about a 1975 TV movie
starring Martin Sheen.

I wasn't aware Martin walked away from Iraq and went to Canada seeking asylum.

(He didn't.)

It takes a lot of whore to write a column you entitle "Deserters Are
Heroes" while failing to mention any of the self-checkouts who have
fought for asylum.

Ron Jacobs is useless and just another temple whore in The Cult of St. Barack.

Joshua Key is an Iraq War veteran. He couldn't go back, not after what
he'd seen. He was raised in poverty here in the United States and he
related to the Iraqi people who were suffering, he was appalled by the
way house raids were carried out, he just couldn't continue. So he
self-checked out. And Barack won't pardon these resisters. And no one
even wants to suggest that he does (we've suggested here repeatedly).
Ron's not about defending those who self-checkout, he's about whoring.

Joshua Key: I had a lawyer check into it years ago, you know, if I
was sent back to the United States or I went back voluntarily, what
would they do? You know, what would be the realm of prison sentence
that I would get? 'Cause we all know -- or anyone who's kept watch on it
knows -- that the soldiers who have been sent back to the United States
have got anywhere from ten months in prison to sixteen months. And I
think in and around that. But also, on a big level, the first one that
was actually a veteran was Kim Rivera who was sent back and who received
ten years and who was pregnant. My goodness, she had her child while
in custody in prison.Michael Welch: That was ten months, right?Joshua Key: Ten months, yes. But the people that -- what the United
States government, the military sees is that, if you're a veteran,
you're the worst of the worst because then you went and fought, you came
to another country and then now you've talked about it, now you wrote a
book about it [The Deserter's Tale]. The lawyer who I had check, he
said -- and this was his specific words, "Don't you ever come back to
the United States." And I said, "Well what did they say? What was
there, you know, around?" And he goes, "You wrote a book. So it will
be around 20 years." 20 years in prison for not wanting to go back and
kill people. I mean, that's just -- there ain't no easier way to break
it down. I didn't want to go back and I didn't want to kill anyone. I
didn't see no reason to because basically them people was just like us.
They were just like me back in Oklahoma, doing everything they possibly
can to survive and take care of their families. Uh, I don't see how
anyone of us would deserve a day in prison.

TO: PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS

We urge you to commit now to not send any U.S. troops back into
Iraq. Our national policy has come full circle in 20 years, from arming
Saddam Hussein to illegally attacking, invading, and occupying Iraq, and
then back to arming another autocratic Iraqi government. The way to
break out of this vicious cycle is to stop promoting violence. Do not
send U.S. troops back into a disastrous sectarian conflict in support of
another ruthless autocrat. Our experience there should have taught us a
lesson.

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About Me

I'm Michael, Mike to my friends. College student working his way through. I'm also Irish-American and The New York Times can kiss my Irish ass. And check out Trina's Kitchen on my links, that's my mother's site.